Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have always loved sweet and sour chicken from Chinese restaurants. It wasn't until I got older that the near radioactive color of the sauce began to bother me and I no longer ate it. When I came across this recipe to make it at home, I jumped on it! It's absolutely delicious! Unfortunately, it's very time-consuming to make (as in two and a half to three hours) so I only make it a couple times a year. Since it was my oldest daughter's birthday this week and she requested it, I made it last night.

I have tweaked the recipe, but only very slightly and it's mostly due to personal preferences. Like, I dip my chicken in egg before I coat it in cornstarch, it's less messy. And I use my deep fryer instead of frying in the skillet, it's a lot faster. Also, I highly recommend doubling or even tripling the sauce. I use more chicken than the recipe calls so I have to double it just to get every piece coated in sauce. I also like to drizzle some on my rice too, so I usually end up tripling it.

Here is the original recipe:

Sweet and Sour Chicken

For the Chicken:
3-4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, slightly beaten
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil

For the Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar (preferably rice or white)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Working in two batches, toss the chicken pieces in cornstarch and then coat with the egg. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and again in two batches, brown the chicken, turning it so that all sides are browned.
4. Place the chicken in a single layer in a 9x13 baking dish.
5. Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and pour evenly over the chicken. Turn the chicken to ensure each piece is coated.
6. Bake for 1 hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.
7. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Quinoa and Black Beans

Quinoa is one of my new favorite foods. Whole grain and full of protein, which is important to me with my cardio and weight training I do. My husband and I love it, my kids - sort of. I think it will grow on them. I hope.

Anyway, this is one of my go-to side dishes when I make mexican food. I came across it while searching the web for quinoa recipes. I like the flavor, the texture, and it's just good for me. Also, it's just as good leftover, I am guilty of eating it cold for lunch the next day!

Here it is:

Quinoa and Black Beans

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth or water work fine too)

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

salt and pepper to taste   

1 cup frozen corn kernels

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

 

Fish Tacos

How do you say 'taco' in Spanish?

Um, taco.

I grew up loving and eating fish. Then as a teenager, I had a bad experience and got sick from it. Over the years, I would try it and it nauseated me every time. Last summer, while vacationing at the beach, my husband and I broke down and tried fresh fish. And it was awesome. I ate more fish those two weeks than I had in 20 years. Since then, I have fallen in love with sushi. My favorite is the spicy tuna rolls. Yum!!! I am still picky about fish, but I am much braver when it comes to trying it.

Last week, I was surfing Pinterest and came across a recipe for fish tacos. It was so simple! Battered fish from the freezer section of the grocery, baked, and put into tacos. I wasn't too sure about the frozen fish part, but decided to try it. I bought a bag of Gorton's Crispy Battered Fish, it had 12 pieces in it and cost about $3.50 at my local Walmart.

Friday night was my test. When I told Shaun what I was making, the look on his face was priceless! Kind of a "I just got over the stomach flu twice in less than a month and you're making fish for dinner?" look. LOL! I made regular ground beef with taco seasoning for the kids (and for my backup). I baked four pieces of the fish according to the directions on the package and cut up my normal taco toppings (lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, cheese, sour cream).

First off, the fish was very crunchy and had an awesome flavor. I honestly did not expect it to be restaurant quality, but it was. I made fish taco and it was incredible. Each of the kids took a bite and loved it, even though they ate the ground beef. I think my oldest would have eaten a fish taco, but there wasn't enough, remember, this was kind of a test. My youngest ended up eating a whole piece of fish herself and begged for more. Shaun also ended up absolutely loving it.

The frozen fish tacos far exceeded my expectations. In fact, I don't think I will ever eat a ground beef taco again! 5 out of 5 thumbs up!!!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

I came across this through one of my favorite cooking blogs, Mommy Hates Cooking. It looked like good comfort food. Something simple and a little more bland than I usually make, which after the stomach issues this past weekend would probably be a good thing. Unfortunately, this just didn't work for my family. It was ok, but my kids didn't really like it. I think it was the peas and carrots they didn't like. I probably won't make it again.

Some tips (in case I ever do make it again): season the chicken well or marinate it. I would also add less water, it was a bit wet for me. Maybe a different cream of something soup to add flavor.

Anyway. Here is the original recipe:

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

4 Medium Sized Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

2 Cups Minute Rice (White or Brown)

1 Bag Frozen Mixed Veggies

1 14.5oz Can of Chicken Broth

1 10.5oz Can of Cream of Chicken (or Gluten Free Cream of Chicken)

2 Cups of Water

1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with non stick spray. Place chicken on bottom of dish then cover with remaining ingredients, except the cheese, evenly over the chicken.

Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered. Remove from oven and add cheese then finish baking for 10-15 minutes. If the rice appears to be too dry, add additional water.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sorry for the lateness of this post (I made this Sunday night), Germ Fest 2013 seems to be going on in my house. So far, I remain unscathed.

Anyway, this recipe is from the Pioneer Woman. I just love her website. And her recipes. I have tried several versions of spaghetti and meatballs and this is my favorite. The meatballs get a 5 out of 5 thumbs up from my family, the sauce only gets 3.5 out of 5. However, one of my kids doesn't like sauce at all and another only likes it sometimes, depending on his mood. So they get pesto and meatballs instead of sauce.

I don't make many changes, except I use a full pound of both the sausage and hamburger. Just easier that way. Also, I use two cans of crushed tomatoes, my kids don't like chunks. Sometimes I use fresh herbs, sometimes I use dried. I have used both grated and shredded Parmesan cheese in the meatballs. Sometimes I make large meatballs (I use a 3 Tbsp size scoop) and other times I make small (1 Tbsp size scoop). With the large, I get about 18 meatballs. I have never counted when I make the small but I assume somewhere around 54. I have browned the meatballs the day before and I have also made this in the crockpot (just make sure you sautee the onions and garlic in the skillet first and brown the meatballs before adding them to the sauce.) and on the stove. As you can see, this recipe is pretty versatile if you have time constraints. It is a lot of work and I usually make my husband help me.

Here is the original recipe.

And here is my version:

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatballs:

• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 pound Ground Pork
• 3-4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• ¾ cups Fine Bread Crumbs
• 2 whole Eggs
• ¾ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan
• ¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Splash Of Milk
• ½ cups Olive Oil

Sauce:

• 1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
• 3-4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 whole 28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
• ½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional)
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• ¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
• 8 whole Fresh Basil Leaves, Chiffonade (optional)
• 2 pounds Spaghetti, Cooked To Al Dente

 Instructions

 

To make the meatballs, combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and a splash of milk in a mixing bowl. Mix together well with hands. Using either a large or small size scoop, roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet.To brown the meatballs, heat olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs 8 at a time, turning to brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel after each batch. Set meatballs aside.
In the same pot, add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, or until translucent. Pour in whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and wine, if using. Add salt, pepper, sugar, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Add meatballs to pot and stir in gently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring very gently a couple of times during the simmer.
Just before serving, stir in basil if using.
Serve over cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan.


***I am not advertising for either Amazon or Pampered Chef. I was just sharing which scoops I use. Also, the small one is excellent for chocolate chip cookies, as well as peanut butter!
 

Vegetable Soup

I hated vegetable soup growing up. I didn't like anything about it. Even once I moved out, got married, had a family, I still never cared for it and never made it. Until about a year and a half ago, we were on vacation with my best friend's family and her parents. My friend's mom made vegetable soup for all of us to eat one night and it was awesome!

A few months later, I asked for the recipe and I couldn't believe how simple it was. You can add whatever seasonings you like, I usually stick with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Ground beef or bulk sausage works for this, I have used both depending on what kind of mood I am in. I use petite diced tomatoes because my kids don't like the bigger chunks, but italian diced tomatoes are very good with this. And cabbage. That was the worst thing about vegetable soup for me as a kid. Now I love it. Sometimes I add it, sometimes I don't. And to keep it simple, I buy the bag of coleslaw mix and add about half of the bag. I usually make this on the stove top, but a crockpot works too. Just brown the meats in a skillet and add everything to the crockpot.

This meal is a 4 out of 5 thumbs up for us. I don't really expect my 6 year old to like this much. Sometimes she will eat a tiny bowl of it. But my 8 year old son loves it and requests it every time I plan my meals. My 10 year old eats 2-3 bowls for dinner of it when I make it. Also, it lasts 2-3 evening meals and even a lunch. I have never frozen it, but I don't see why that wouldn't be ok.

So here is my best friend's son's aunt's cousin's dad's sister's recipe (that's redneck for my best friend's mom!):

Vegetable Soup

1 lb ground beef or bulk sausage
28oz diced tomatoes of your choice (italian is good, plain also works well)
2 10oz cans tomato soup
1 14oz can green beans
1 14oz can corn (I like the white corn)
1 14oz can sliced carrots
1 14oz can diced potatoes
1/2 bag of coleslaw mix (optional)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any other seasonings of your choice, to taste

First of all, do NOT drain any of the canned veggies, you will need those juices. Now that I got that out of my system, go ahead and brown the ground beef in whatever pot you will make your soup. I usually add the seasonings to the meat, but if you prefer to add them to the soup, then wait. Drain the meat if you want. Then open all of the cans and dump them on top of the meat, liquid included. If you didn't add the seasonings to the meat, now is the time. Stir until the veggies are evenly distributed in the soup. Bring to a simmer, stirring now and then. We like our soups fairly thick, if you like it thinner, simply add water about a 1/4 cup at a time until the consistency is right for you. Once it's hot, it's ready to serve! If you would like it to simmer longer, go ahead. Serve with crackers or a thick, crusty bread, or plain!

Turkey in a Pot

I discovered this recipe in an old Quick Cooking magazine (Taste of Home) many years ago. It's different from plain old turkey breast and has a ton of flavor. Don't be afraid of the seasonings, I have family that don't like cranberry sauce and sweet flavors for dinner and they enjoyed this very much. Add the fact that it's easy and cooks in a crockpot and we have a winner! It makes plenty for my family with enough leftovers for lunch the next day. It's a 5 out of 5 thumbs up for us!

I served it with green beans and baked potatoes, just keeping with the theme of simplicity.

Turkey in a Pot

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless turkey breast (3 to 4 pounds), halved
• 1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup apple juice (I have substituted pineapple juice with no problem)
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon browning sauce, optional

Directions:

• Place the turkey skin side up in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine the cranberry sauce, sugar, apple juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, cinnamon, cloves and allspice; pour over turkey. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170°.
• Remove turkey to a cutting board; keep warm. Strain cooking juices. In a saucepan, combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir in strained juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in browning sauce if desired. Serve with sliced turkey. Yield: 12-16 servings.

The fun never ends!

Well, we got through the weekend ok, however yesterday we got a whole new round of medical drama to deal with (last week we had the stomach flu, broken bones, and colds). Fortunately, it's no one in our household this time, but still someone close to use and we have been very busy with it and probably will be for a while.

Sunday night, I made this Fettuccine Alfredo.  I have never been a fan of alfredo, but tried it recently and loved it. I came across this particular recipe on one of my favorite food blogs Annie's Eats.

I did tweak it slightly, as we are huge garlic fans. I use 3-4 cloves of garlic, depending on the size. I also marinated the chicken in Italian dressing, sauteed them in a skillet, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Then when the sauce and pasta was done, I mixed everything together so both the chicken and pasta were coated in the sauce. It's delicious and got a full 5 out of 5 thumbs up!

Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken


Ingredients:
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied in half
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the alfredo sauce:
3 tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1½ cups heavy cream
1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb fettuccine
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil for cooking the pasta.  While you are waiting, cook the chicken breasts.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Season both sides of the chicken breast halves with salt and pepper.  Add to the skillet and cook until brown on one side, 3-5 minutes. Then flip and cook until browned on the other side and cooked through, an additional 3-5 minutes.  Remove to a plate and let rest for a few minutes.  Cut into small strips.  Cover with foil to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.
Once the pasta water is boiling, cook the pasta until al dente.  (Homemade pasta can cook very quickly, so check frequently to be sure it is the texture you would like.)
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cream, and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Don't get in a hurry on this part!  Mix in the Parmesan cheese and stir until completely melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve fresh pasta topped with the alfredo sauce and grilled chicken pieces.  Garnish with chopped fresh herbs, if desired.

Not a whole lot of cooking going on here

With the chaos of this past week (stomach flu, cold, ER trip, broken toe, etc), there hasn't been much cooking going on. We went out to Cheddars one night, grilled pork chops (marinated in italian dressing), and made subs. We have been keeping it fairly simple. And easy. My inherent laziness likes easy!

However today was grocery shopping day. And after an almost painful experience with an incompetent cashier, I have my meals planned for the week or so. My list includes fettuccine alfredo, vegetable soup, cranberry turkey breast, spaghetti and meatballs, and BBQ chicken pizza.

Now I'm hungry.....

Mongolian Beef

I just love Pinterest! I find so many fattening desserts, cookies, and other yummies there. I swear I can feel the pounds packing on just looking at that stuff! I also find ideas for lunch and dinner and I like to try new recipes. I am always careful and check the actual link, read reviews, and look at ingredients first though. And I have made a couple things that did NOT turn out.

Anyway, the Mongolian Beef is a Pinterest find. It got 3 out of 4 thumbs up from my family (#5 was sick so I didn't count her and I don't think she would have liked it). There are a few things I would change next time. The flavor was good, but I think I will leave the green onions out of the slow cooker and use them as a topping only. The biggest complaint was the texture of the sauce. Next time I won't coat the steak in cornstarch. With those changes, I think I will get 4 out of 4! Also, I think mine was done after 4 hours on low, I tasted it at that point and the meat was perfect, but I left it in another hour because hubby wasn't home from work yet. In that extra time, it started to get slightly chewy.

****I want to add that this was even better leftover the next day, definitely a keeper!

Here is the original Six Sisters recipe:


Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak, cut into stir-fry sized strips
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3 medium green onions, chopped

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place cornstarch in a bowl. Coat each piece of steak in cornstarch and place in crock pot. Discard any remaining cornstarch. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over beef in crock pot. Cook in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice, topped with additional sliced green onions.

New Recipe for Dinner Tonight

The last few nights have consisted of leftovers and pizza (Superbowl treat).

This morning, my baby girl got sick and threw up in a colander instead of a bowl. That was not a good 6am wake up call! Laundry, bath time, and disinfectant time. Despite all of that, I will be trying out a new recipe in my crockpot today for Mongolian Beef. Fortunately, it appears to be low-maintenance, as in little prep. Those are the best kind of recipes on sick days!

I will update tomorrow on how it turned out!

Beef and Noodles

Another family recipe, this one is from my mother-in-law. My older kids love it, my younger one prefers just the noodles with a little gravy. I think it's the texture of the meat or something. Anyway. My mother-in-law only uses the soups and meat. I prefer to add carrots and potatoes, that way it's more like a stew. Serve over cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes!

Beef and Noodles

1 can french onion soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can beefy mushroom soup
1.5 to 2lbs stew meat
Carrots and potatoes (optional)
Hot cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Peel and chop the carrots and potatoes into 1" chunks. Or be lazy like me and just use a small bag of baby carrots. Place the vegetables in to bottom of a crockpot. Put the stew meat on top of the carrots and potatoes. Mix the soups together and pour on top of everything. I like to give it a little stir to break up the meat, but it's not really necessary. Set the crockpot on low and let it cook until dinner time (about 8 hours). Or if you forget to start it in the morning and remember around lunch, then it's best to set it on high (4-5 hours). Prepare the noodles or mashed potatoes and serve with the stew on top. Yummy!

Third Generation Kid-Friendly Recipe

I admit, when I was first introduced to this meal as an adult, it sounded gross. It came from my husband's grandma and passed down through the generations. It wasn't bad and has since grown on me. Nearly 15 years later, it has become a "comfort food" in our house. It's easy, quick, and cheap, and I always have the ingredients on hand.

You can easily adjust the measurements to suit your needs. This is about what I use to feed my family of 5. Sometimes I have leftovers, sometimes I don't. My kids have named it:

Macaroni Hot Dog Stuff

2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
1 pack of hot dogs, sliced
1 Tbsp butter
6 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil water and cook the macaroni until al dente. While it's cooking, saute the slice hot dogs in the butter. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl. Add the cooked and drained macaroni to the hot dogs and saute a few minutes longer. Finally, add the eggs and mix until everything is coated. Continue to stir until the eggs are cooked and no longer glossy. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot!